This invention relates to a marine engine and more particularly to an improved air compressor for use with a marine engine.
Frequently, internal combustion engines are provided with one or more air compressors which supply compressed air to the engine for its operation. For example, with high output engines frequently there is employed a supercharger for delivering a compressed air charge to the induction system for the engine. Such arrangements are particularly advantageous in conjunction with two-cycle engines because they can not only increase the performance of the engine, but also assist in scavenging. Furthermore, when a supercharger is used with a two-cycle engine it is not necessary to have the intake charge flow through the crankcase chamber of the engine and the amount of lubricant which passes into the exhaust gases can, therefore, be reduced as can lubricant consumption.
However, engines are frequently employed in marine environments, particularly when used to propel a watercraft. This is particularly true in conjunction with outboard motors, which frequently use two-cycle engines.
A disadvantage with the use of an air compressor or supercharger in a marine environment is that the air inducted into the supercharger can contain a large amount of water, particularly salt water. When the engine is not running, this salt water may condense in the supercharger compression chamber and can damage the critical components thereof such as the impeller, intermeshing rotors, supporting shafts and bearings or the like. This is an obviously undesirable result.
It is, therefore, a principal object to this invention to provide an improved air compressor for use with an engine.
It is a further object to this invention to provide an improved air compressor wherein liquids can not accumulate in the compression chamber of the compressor when the compressor is not being driven.